Monday 9 November 2015

Tiny Plant vs Tiny Bird

It is always a privilege for me to be contacted by botany researchers to take them out to look for certain plants for their studies. Such requests are once in a blue moon and it is always a golden opportunity for me to follow an expert to learn something new.  

As we were dragging ourselves up that steep path, I turned and looked behind to check on her. She raised her hands signally to stop. I turned around to see what she got.

It takes a pair of keen eyes of a botanist to spot this really tiny plant growing at the side of the trail. I walked past it! After trotting on this trail for uncountable times, I think this would be my first time looking at this plant. Or maybe I may have looked at it and not noticing it at all.
Burmannia coelestis
Burmannia coelestis is a common species


I did a search and found an interesting write-up on this tiny plant. To read this write-up, you can click here Burmannia coelestis

And there was another plant was shown to me.
Begonia sinuata with flowers
Begonia sinuata found abundantly along this path
Can you see the object she was photographing?
When we were about to descend, an Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa latirostris came and perched for awhile. I said to her while pointing at the direction of the bird, "Hey, look at that flycatcher." And she asked, "Where?"

Thank you for this short fun botany exploration.

Note: In due respect with her kind advise and permission, the name of researcher and the organisation will not be revealed.